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Harem
Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic servants, and other unmarried female relatives. In harems of the past, slave concubines were also housed in the harem. In former times some harems were guarded by eunuchs who were allowed inside. The structure of the harem and the extent of monogamy or polygamy has varied depending on the family's personalities, socio-economic status, and local customs. Similar institutions have been common in other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilizations, especially among royal and upper-class families, and the term is sometimes used in other contexts. In traditional Persian residential architecture the women's quarters were known as ''andar ...
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Eunuchs
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines, or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impa ...
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Haremlik
In pre- Atatürk Turkey, a haremlik was the private portion of upper-class Ottoman homes, as opposed to the ''selamlik'', the public area or reception rooms, used only by men in traditional Islamic society. This contrasts with the common usage of harem as an English loan-word, which implies a female-only enclave or seraglio A seraglio, serail, seray or saray (from fa, سرای, sarāy, palace, via Turkish and Italian) is a castle, palace or government building which was considered to have particular administrative importance in various parts of the former Ott .... Although the women of the household were traditionally secluded in the haremlik, both men and women of the immediate family lived and socialized there. Popular culture Ann Bridge's ''Enchanter's Nightshade'' depicts Ottoman life in the period of Atatürk's rise to power, and makes clear the distinction in social usage in that period between the ''haremlik'' and ''selamlik''. References {{Reflist Archit ...
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Orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist painting, depicting more specifically the Middle East, was one of the many specialisms of 19th-century academic art, and the literature of Western countries took a similar interest in Oriental themes. Since the publication of Edward Said's ''Orientalism (book), Orientalism'' in 1978, much academic discourse has begun to use the term "Orientalism" to refer to a general patronizing Western attitude towards Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African societies. In Said's analysis, the West Essentialism, essentializes these societies as static and undeveloped—thereby fabricating a view of Oriental culture that can be studied, depicted, and reproduced in the service of Imperialism, imperial power. Implicit in this fabrication, writes Said, is the ...
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Sultanate Of Women
The Sultanate of Women ( Turkish: ''Kadınlar saltanatı'') was a period when wives and mothers of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire exerted extraordinary political influence. This phenomenon took place from roughly 1528-30 to 1715, beginning in the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent, with his marriage to Hürrem Sultan (also known as Roxelana). These women were either the wives of the Sultan, referred to as haseki sultans, or the mothers of the Sultan, known as valide sultans. Many of them were of slave origin, as was expected during the sultanate since the traditional idea of marriage was considered inappropriate for the sultan, who was not expected to have any personal allegiances beyond his governmental role. During this time, haseki and valide sultans held political and social power, which allowed them to influence the daily running of the empire and undertake philanthropic works as well as to request the construction of buildings such as the large Haseki Sultan Mosque co ...
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Islamic Views On Concubinage
In classical Islamic law, a concubine was a slave-woman with whom her master engaged in sexual relations. Concubinage was widely accepted by Muslim scholars in pre-modern times. Most modern Muslims, both scholars and laypersons, believe that Islam no longer accepts concubinage and that sexual relations are religiously permissible only within marriage. Concubinage was a custom practiced in both pre-Islamic Arabia and the wider Near East and Mediterranean. The Qur'an allowed this custom by requiring that a man not have sexual relations with anyone except for his wife or concubine. Muhammad had a concubine Maria the Copt who had been given to him as a gift by al-Muqawqis with whom he had a son. Some sources say he later freed and married her, while others dispute this. Classical Islamic jurists did not place any limits on how many concubines a man could have. Prostitution of concubines was prohibited. A concubine who gave birth to a child was given the special status of an ''umm al-wa ...
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Andaruni
Andaruni ( fa, اندرونی) in Iranian architecture, is the inner quarter where the women lived. It has been described as ''harem'' in Arabic. Private space In traditional Persian residential architecture the ''andaruni'' is a part of the house in which the private quarters are established. This is specifically where the women of the house are free to move about without being seen by an outsider (''na mahram''). This is also the place where women can interact with their kin ('' maharim'') without following the dress code or without wearing the ''hijab''. In case the patriarch of the house had more than one wife, each wife is given her own section in the ''andaruni'' as is the case for her mother-in-law or sister-in-law if they live with the family. The only men allowed in this area are those directly related to the lord of the house (his sons) and the lord himself, which may include boys under the age of puberty, and guests allowed in under special circumstances. The court ( ...
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Zenana
Zenana ( fa, زنانه, ur, , bn, জেনানা, hi, ज़नाना) literally meaning "of the women" or "pertaining to women", in Persian language contextually refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim, Sikh, or Hindu family in the Indian subcontinent which is reserved for the women of the household. The ''zenana'' are the inner apartments of a house in which the women of the family live. The outer apartments for guests and men are called the ''mardana''. Conceptually in those that practise purdah, it is the equivalent in the Indian subcontinent of the harem. Christian missionaries were able to gain access to these Indian girls and women through the zenana missions; female missionaries who had been trained as doctors and nurses were able to provide them with health care and also evangelise them in their own homes. Mughal court life Physically, the zenana of the Mughal court consisted of exceptionally luxurious conditions, particularly for princesses ...
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Selamlik
The selamlik, selamlek or sélamlique ( tr, selamlık) was the portion of an Ottoman palace or house reserved for men; as contrasted with the seraglio, which is reserved for women and forbidden to men. Selamlik was also a portion of the household reserved for the guests (from the root word ''selam'', "greeting"), similar to the ''andronites'' (courtyard of men) in Ancient Greece, where guests would be welcomed by the males of the household. The ''harem'' is the portion for the family. See also *Haremlik *Odalisque An odalisque (, tr, odalık) was a chambermaid or a female attendant in a Turkish seraglio, particularly the court ladies in the household of the Ottoman sultan. In western usage, the term came to mean the harem concubine, and refers to the ... Sources and references Dictionary.com - Selamlik entry Ottoman culture Architecture in the Ottoman Empire Architecture in Turkey Turkish words and phrases ...
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Haram
''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowledge; or, in direct contrast, to an evil and thus "sinful action that is forbidden to be done". The term also denotes something "set aside", thus being the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew concept he, , ḥērem, label=none and the concept of (cf. sacred) in Roman law and religion. In Islamic jurisprudence, ''haram'' is used to refer to any act that is forbidden by God and is one of the five Islamic commandments ( ar, الأحكام الخمسة, al-ʾAḥkām al-Ḵamsa) that define the morality of human action. Acts that are haram are typically prohibited in the religious texts of the Quran, and the category of haram is the highest status of prohibition. If something is considered haram, it remains prohibited no matter how good the i ...
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Ihram
''Ihram'' ( ar, إِحْرَام, iḥrām, from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-R-M) is, in Islam, a sacred state which a Muslim must enter in order to perform the major pilgrimage ('' Ḥajj'') or the minor pilgrimage (''ʿUmrah''). A pilgrim must enter into this state before crossing the pilgrimage boundary, known as '' Mīqāt'', by performing the cleansing rituals and wearing the prescribed attire. Restrictions Wearing A man in the state of ''ihram'' must not tie any knots or wear any stitched items. Sandals and flip flops must not be stitched either and should allow the ankle and back of foot to be exposed (some other schools of thought also agree that the front of the foot must be shown as well). Men are also not allowed to cover the head or part of it by using a songkok, keffiyeh, turban, ihram cloth, etc. in the state of ihram. In the state of ihram, women and men are not allowed to wear gloves. Scents Whilst in the state of ''ihram'', a Muslim must not use any ...
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Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and of supporting their family during their absence from home. In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to the Kaaba, the "House of God", in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah (oath to God), Salat (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving) and Sawm (fasting of Ramadan). The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God ( Allah). The word Hajj means "to attend a journey", which connotes both the outward act of a journey and the inward act of intentions. The rites of pilgrimage are performed over five to six ...
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Temple Mount
The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or simply al-Aqsa Mosque (, ''al-Masjid al-Aqṣā'', lit. 'The Furthest Mosque'), * ''Where Heaven and Earth Meet'', page 13: "Nowadays, while oral usage of the term Haram persists, Palestinians tend to use in formal texts the name Masjid al-Aqsa, habitually rendered into English as 'the Aqsa Mosque'" * * * * PEF Survey of Palestine, 1883, volume III Jerusalem, p.119: "The Jamia el Aksa, or 'distant mosque' (that is, distant from Mecca), is on the south, reaching to the outer wall. The whole enclosure of the Haram is called by Moslem writers Masjid el Aksa, 'praying-place of the Aksa,' from this mosque." * Yitzhak Reiter: "This article deals with the employment of religious symbols for national identities and national narratives by us ...
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